A pirate’s exploits

Till early 2008, The Polyester Prince: The Rise of Dhirubhai Ambani (Allen & Unwin) by Hamish McDonald was hard to obtain in India. But that changed when hawkers began selling pirated copies.

Published in 1998, the book was banned in the country after the Ambani family moved court. In September, the author released Ambani & Sons (Roli Books), an updated version of The Polyester Prince, at Rs 395. Jimmy Shroff, who owns two bookshops in Mumbai, says he sells up to 10 copies a day. But pirated copies of The Polyester Prince, at Rs 50, are still moving fast. “I sell at least 15 copies a day,” says Ramesh of Mumbai’s Fort area. “This one is the original.”